Thursday, November 6, 2008

Definition of an "Arrepentido"

There is no word in the American political lexicon for arrepentido, although there will be soon. An arrepentido is someone who, by definition, regrets his own actions in supporting an aspirant to power because it led to a national debacle which he did not envision or desire, but to which he contributed inadvertently and unadvisedly. Rarely, however, does an arrepentido accept personal responsibility for his choice, but will claim that he was misled, betrayed or used. At the same time as he regrets the calamity that has befallen his country, he takes a secret pride in his past protagonismo (the only time in his life when anything that he did mattered) and will not disavow his role completely, defending aspects of it which he believes put him in a heroic or favorable light. He has no problem blaming everybody else, however, including his erstwhile underlings on account that their motives were not as pure as his even if their actions were identical or even less culpable. There is nothing in his own conduct that he doesn't attempt to justify, nor anything in somebody else's that he wouldn't condemn. His conscience is as malleable as his backbone; he approaches the truth acrobatically and is the hero of his own story, which ends badly for everybody (including himself). The arrepentido believes himself entitled to the gratitude of his countrymen for what he professes to be his good intentions but blameless for the consequences of his acts: blameless, in short, for the evil that he helped bring into the world.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

The word "arrepentido" might not be in the American political lexicon, but it is in the way the American public has acted in this presidential election. They elected Obama because they are "arrepentido" of having elected Bush. They are "arrepentido" of having Bush get USA into a war in Iraq under false pretences. They are "arrepentido" of having Bush and the Republicans bankrupt the country. They are "arrepentido" of losing their jobs and their houses because of the economic policies of the Bush administration. They are "arrepentido" of having elected in Bush one of the worse presidents in American history.

Centurion said...

Mansuelo defiendete que te estan dando duro.

y

Suelta la botella chico que no es para tanto-- las borracheras no son buena para la salud.

Manuel A.Tellechea said...

anonymous:

I sometimes wonder if Bush didn't engineer this whole "financial crisis" in order to elect Obama. Only Obama's even more disastrous presidency could rehabilitate in some measure Bush's.

Anonymous said...

Enrique Fantomas el ARREPENTIDO, dejate de fanería traidór, tu eres uno de los mojones que Fidel envió a EEUU en el Mariél, los balseros vinieron sin ser enviados a la fuerza, la travesía a la Florida demostró su valentía, tu eres un cobarde, deja ya de pretendér que eres un balsero, a ti no te importa porque tu no tienes morál, pero a los verdaderos balseros los ofendes con tu pretención, ARREPENTIDO.

Fantomas said...

No soy ni balsero ni arrepentido , nunca me arrepentire de salir de la isla carcel

What is a balsero , I have no idea what that term means

Fantomas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fantomas said...

Manuel no me digas que te arrepientes ahora de haber votado por Mc Same

Centurion said...

Manuel de que estas arrepentido consolte-- de apoyar a Batista ?

Centurion said...

cjb:

quitate la mascara mariquita -- a quien le tienes miedo --

mojon con mascara mojon se queda-- I smell babaloonies..

Manuel A.Tellechea said...

balsero:

Strange thing -- there are no arrepentidos among batistianos and never were. Being right precludes regrets.

Fulano de Cal said...

oye anon at the top, you forgot the biggest one for gringos- arrepentido about slavery. We cubans don't know that one.

Vana said...

Like all the arrepentidos we will soon see walking around when Obama further fucks up this country.

Anonymous said...

"Like all the arrepentidos we will soon see walking around when Obama further fucks up this country." Vana, amen! I know quite a few here at my college. Mr. T, I'm with you. I wonder if both parties engineered the crisis, so as to usher in the NAU, which should be happening within a year or so.

Angel Garzón said...

Manuel, the definition of "short & sweet" fits this post to a T.

Fulano de Cal, where have you been? long time no see, saludos.

CJB-BCJ, well said about the courage of the Balseros cubanos, sadly many of them never made it to freedom, they were victims of the sea, the sharks, or the US Coast Guard.

Fantomas, the CJBs are right, cut the nonsense, whenever you want to you are capable of making sense, why must you always resort to destroying your own reputation? I don't get it, you could be useful even when you disagree with others, try it, we Cubans are a forgiving bunch when it comes to our own, you owe Vana a serious apology, be a man for a change and do what's right. I hope that you are not the anonymous that insulted Julie on the previous post, but it sure looked like the style that you use towards women, deja eso chico.

Centurion said...

Arrepentido


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ttMWZ3OFE

Fantomas said...

I hope that you are not the anonymous that insulted Julie on the previous post, b



it was not me

Anonymous said...

test

Anonymous said...

Manuel, it is this simple. America will never trust a republican to guide this nation ever again. So get used to leftist being in charge.

Anonymous said...

See folks, when you make a President, like Mexican-Americans made Barack Obama, this is how you demand what is owed to you.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15375.html



Relevant section below:


Cecilia Munoz, vice president of National Council of La Raza, said, “It’s a foregone conclusion that we should be at the table for policy debates and in a position of authority,” because Hispanics are affected by major issues facing all voters. Latinos will be prominent in an Obama administration “just as we would be in any administration moving forward,” she added.

History also has taught Latinos to take nothing for granted.

In 1964, President Johnson’s top adviser, Jack Valenti, cut down a group of Latinos seeking presidential appointments. “You have one percent of the vote, so you have one percent of my attention,”




P.S.

That article should have also cited how Bush betrayed the Cuban-Americans the last 8 years, without penalty.

Anonymous said...

John we'd guess that you were one of those gringos that went to Miami in search of sun, sand, babes and booze, but you were not able to compete in any way with the Cuban men already there, you couldn't even get poon-tang if you were willing to pay for it, in the end you went back to the land of the lost aka Indiana and you will forever regret finding out that you are incapable of meeting Cuban standards of manhood and success, now you are left with your gringo bitterness and you are not able to handle the truth, so you sit at home collecting disability because of mental depression and spew your resentment against Cubans that are more qualified than you in every respect, John you are a loser, deal with it.

Anonymous said...

you cant handle said: you are incapable of meeting Cuban standards of manhood and success



LOL, until the Cuban-American raises off his prepetually bended knee to an uncaring republican from Alabama, and re-captures his nation with honor afforded the nation of Cuba, and her peoples. You will never achieve the definition of a man, from another man. Never!!

Anonymous said...

John by your snootty answer and your failure to respond to the real issue that we allured to, you have proven that we hit the proverbial nail in the head, of course your problem can never be resolved without you first being honest with yourself, the medications treat the symptoms, you have to treat the problem, to thyself be true, loser.

Anonymous said...

John since your phobia and dementia appear to be advanced, we'd recommend a four hour block of adult channels on pay tv, play the lone ranger and call it a day, loser, the padded room awaits you.

Anonymous said...

Some of you guys sound truly sophomoric (without the humor). Everyone knows male Cubans are the best lays. That's why no gringo "le puede levantar una Cubana a otro Cubano" only another Cuban can do that (hey we are just that good). Pobre diablos que pena me dan. Sigan asi...you'll make great fossil fuel for the future. Because never look for common points, that would only mean you might not be entirely correct all the time and the other side might just get lucky for once. Ah, divinity must feel so good (in your world)!

Anonymous said...

Hey Manuel, i thought you said Pailin was the, "great unsinkable Pailin." Looks like the republican party doesnt like Sarah either. So i guess, that leaves the Cuban exiles as their only worshipers she has left.

Poor Cuban exiles, had the world by its tail. Could dictate America foreign and national affairs. Was respected, and many times feared in the corridors of power in D.C.

Now what? Nothing? Was Bush worth losing nearly 50 years of good-will, and respect? How does it feel to have some lazy no good drunkard phoney Texan ruin your communities hard-earned respect? Why and how could you allow "one" incompetent man to ruin the sacrifices of tens of thousands of Cubans? Worse, how could you not gain one concession in eight years, like undoing the barbaric wet/foot dry/foot policy?

Breathtaking!!!

Centurion said...

Otra buena produccion del Yoyin.


http://elyoyin.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

"...in the end you went back to the land of the lost aka Indiana and you will forever regret finding out that you are incapable of meeting Cuban standards of manhood and success" Take it easy, I'm from Indiana!

Fantomas said...

LLAMAN A LANZARSE A LAS CALLES DE CUBA EL PRÓXIMO LUNES A LAS 8 DE LA NOCHE

(11-6-08- 9:05PM)


Tal y como ha venido adelantando Nuevo Acción, hace unos minutos, a las 8 y 20 minutos se lanzó a través de las emisoras de Miami "La Poderosa" y "Cadena Azul", el llamado para que se produzca en Cuba el desafío ciudadano, mediante el cual se han comprometido varios factores de la oposición y del clandestinaje cubano a lanzarse a las calles en franco desafío a la tiranía.

Distintas personalidades del exilio cubano participaron en un programa especial de "La Séptima Provincia" que dirige Héctor Alfonso Ruiz "Fabian" y exhortaron a que el pueblo se una a los que iniciarán el desafío, que fue descripto como "un abierto y claro desafío, para salir a las calles, a tomarlas,.. tomar las azoteas' y se señalaron como objetivos "desde los postes de la luz hasta los hoteles turísticos".


Fabián inició el programa diciendo: "Ya no hay penúltimo llamado...Esta noche, después de más de tres semanas de intenso trabajo, culminamos lo que prometimos que haríamos, a los que desde Cuba nos lo pidieron...que diéramos la fecha y la hora de iniciar el desafío cívico ciudadano destinado a lanzarse a las calles a reclamar derechos y la libertad".

Al terminar el programa se envió el mensaje a todos los comprometidos a lo largo y ancho de Cuba de que el desafío comenzaría el próximo lunes día 10 a las 8 de la noche y se les instó a que comenzaran a tomar todas las precauciones para evitar ser detenidos y para cumplir efectivamente la palabra empeñada, de que los cubanos demostrarán que son capaces de iniciar la batalla por su libertad sólos.

Para los que seguramente criticarán la manera en que se ha anunciado esta presunta acción, hay que explicar que la idea de dar la fecha de antemano no se tomó festinadamente, ni en el exilio, sino que fue una expresa petición de los gestores desde Cuba, para evitar ser detenidos en los últimos momentos cuando tuviesen que trasnmitirse unos a otros la fecha y la hora. Alegan que ya todos los responsables saben lo que tiene que hacer y que sólo faltaba acordar la fecha y que estaban alertas para escucharlas por las mencionadas emisoras y por algunas publicaciones que llegan a Cuba vía internet.

Fulano de Cal said...

Angel,

I have a new little one to call me pipo, so I don't have much time.

Thanks for the hello.

Angel Garzón said...

Fulano de Cal, congratulations, try to get some sleep, you are going to need it, be well.

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